artist interviews self and sometimes others

Is social media the middle class?

It occurred to me that those who are very poor and those who are very rich do not use social media. The former for lack of access and the latter for lack of use.

Wealth that is generated by the middle class and thus dependent on the middle class is represented i.e. a large retail or media corporation. Political interests as well, but the truly powerful have no reason to engage risking their reputation by being noticed at all. It’s a far safer strategy to be off the radar.

The marginalized and those toiling in poverty are represented, but arguably by industries that depend on the cycle of poverty such as non-profits, activists and charities. If you have access to the internet via a signal and device, and engage on platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest then chances are you are (relatively) not representational of the plight of the truly disadvantaged – especially globally.

Social media is more and more of a shopping mall – and the super wealthy don’t shop where you shop and persons living on the street aren’t allowed in. In the meantime, we are hearing more and more about reputation management and the need for a respectable online footprint if you want good career opportunities, or even to not be fired for indecent behaviour or comments in public. These are concerns of the aspiring middle class.

ALP Archives

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The Grand Journey Here @ Scenic Cityhttps://vimeo.com/234348306 This short art film, my first, has certainly travelled well since its completion in 2015. This screening in Owen Sound, where my father was born and raised, is most likely the last stop before it becomes available online for streaming. There are some aspects to the work that might be easy to mis […]

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Interview with Artist Otino Corsano: This is the fifth in a series of 11 artist interviews I conducted in 2014 titled “a new space; artists and social media”. You can learn more about this academic research project at http://artistsandsocialmedia.tumblr.com/Corsano is a New Genres Artist from California now based in Toronto, Ontario. He works in a variety of […]

Mike Brodie’s ‘Period of Juvenile Prosperity’ is currently on show at Galerie les Filles du Calvaire, Paris as part of Mois de la Photo 2014. Sang Bleu looks at the striking work of amateur photographer Mike Brodie, taken whilst he was a juvenile freight train hopper on the American railway tracks. via sangbleu: